What each plan does with your chats
| Free, Go, Plus, Pro | ChatGPT Business | ChatGPT Enterprise | Model on your own hardware | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used for training? | Yes by default; turn off “Improve the model for everyone” | Not by default | Not by default | No vendor involved |
| Temporary chats | Not used for training; may be kept up to 30 days for safety | — | — | — |
| Retention | Saved chats stay until you delete them | Admins control retention; deleted chats removed within 30 days unless law requires otherwise | Admins control retention | You decide |
| Who in your org can see chats | Only you | Workspace admins can view, export and delete members’ chats | Admins via audit log and Compliance API | Whoever you allow |
| Who at the vendor can access | Per OpenAI’s privacy policy | Authorized staff and contractors for support, abuse and legal reasons | Authorized staff for incidents, with permission, or where law requires | Nobody |
From OpenAI’s Data controls and Enterprise privacy pages, checked November 13, 2026.
Does ChatGPT store your data?
Yes. Saved chats stay in your history until you delete them, on every plan. Temporary chats don’t appear in history and aren’t used for training, but OpenAI may keep them for up to 30 days for safety. On Business, deleted or unsaved conversations are removed within 30 days unless law or safety requires longer.
Does ChatGPT train on your data?
On personal plans (Free, Go, Plus, Pro), data sharing is on by default; you can turn off “Improve the model for everyone” in Settings, then Data controls. If you rate a response with a thumbs up or down, OpenAI says the whole conversation may be used for training even after opting out. Business, Enterprise, Edu and the API aren’t used for training by default.
Can I put client information in ChatGPT?
Not into a personal account. On a business plan, it’s a question for your professional rules and your clients: lawyers have ABA Formal Opinion 512, tax preparers have IRC §7216, and many client contracts say where data may go. Even with no training, the data is processed and stored by OpenAI, and workspace admins can read members’ chats.
Five things to keep out of any cloud AI unless policy allows
- Social Security numbers, tax IDs and account numbers
- Health information
- Privileged strategy and unfiled work product
- Passwords, keys and access codes
- Anything a client contract says must stay on your systems
What about Copilot and Claude?
Microsoft says its Copilot Business add-on includes Enterprise Data Protection for work accounts. Anthropic’s consumer Claude plans (Free, Pro, Max) let you opt out of model training. In every case the protections attach to the work account and the plan, so a client file pasted into a personal account gets personal-plan terms.
Questions
Is ChatGPT confidential?
Not in the professional sense. Business plans don’t train on your data by default, but OpenAI still processes and stores it, and workspace admins can read members’ chats.
Is ChatGPT safe for business?
OpenAI’s business plans have no-training defaults, encryption and SOC 2 Type 2 audits, per OpenAI. Whether that’s enough depends on the files and your obligations.
Can my employer see my ChatGPT chats?
On ChatGPT Business, workspace admins can view, export and delete members’ conversations, per OpenAI.
Does deleting a chat delete it from OpenAI?
On Business and Enterprise, deleted chats are removed from OpenAI’s systems within 30 days unless law requires keeping them.
How do I keep client data completely in-house?
Run the model on your own hardware. AdminOnsite does that on a Mac mini in your office.